Israel's Knesset (Parliament) Speaker Amir Ohana is currently on a visit to India. It is the first-ever official visit to the country by a sitting speaker of the Knesset. Earlier on Tuesday, Ohana, along with the parliamentary delegation, met EAM Jaishankar.
Speaking about the meeting on Twitter, Jaishankar wrote: "Discussed strengthening India-Israel ties and promoting cooperation in I2U2. Connectivity, renewables, food security, start-ups, tourism and culture can enrich our agenda."
Ohana had also met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Saturday.
In his visit to Mumbai on Tuesday, Ohana expressed expectations of perpetrators of 26/11 terror attacks being brought to justice.
The terrorists of 26/11 attacks should be brought to justice, said Amir Ohana. 166 people died and over 300 were injured in the terror attack that included people from different nationalities in which trained heavily armed terrorists attacked various places in the city.
"Everyone who took part in this terrible terror attack should be brought to justice. This is a major part of counter-terrorism. So, first we need to prevent (the attacks). But if we do not succeed to prevent it, everyone needs to be brought to justice. And this is our expectation, and I think it is the vast majority of the Indian people's expectation," said Ohana after his visit to the Nariman House in Colaba.
Kasab was the only terrorist to survive gunfights
Except Ajmal Kasab, all terrorists were killed in gun fights. Kasab was executed by hanging. Masterminds of the attacks continue to be at large with India taking up the case several times. At the Nariman House, from where Chabad services were run by Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, six Jews were killed including them. Their son Moshe, was saved by his nanny Sandra Samuels.
Ohana later addressed Jews at the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Fort. He was joined by Michael Biton and Amit Halevy, members of the Knesset. Among other dignitaries included Kobbi Shoshani, consul general of Israel in Mumbai, Solomon Sopher, trustee of Keneseth Synagogue and advocate Jonathan Solomon of the Indian Jewish Federation.
Ohana calls India unique, thanks for warm welcome
"At Chabad we went to Moshe's room. I saw the marking of Moshe's height on the walls. He must have been 11 months old. Now he is much taller" said Ohana, adding that Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister in his visit to Nariman House wrote 'Am Israel Chai' (The People of Israel Live). "It is something that Moshe too wrote when he visited Villa Vanza where the final solution for Jews took place in Germany," said Ohana.
India, said Ohana, was "Unique". "Jews have been living in India for centuries and have never faced what they faced in countries across the world. They have not faced hatred, anti-semitism. I thank you for the warm welcome," said Ohana.
Ohana also met Governor of Maharashtra Ramesh Bais at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
Friendly relations between Jews and Muslims
Members of the Jewish community said that they made India their home, took up the culture, got integrated with the people but practiced faith despite being cut off and away from Israel for many years. "We have received love and affection here. We have had disproportionately large contributions as compared to our numbers. There have been friendly relations with Jews and Muslims as both considered 'men of book'. Tipu Sultan and his mother had pardoned a Jew who went on to make the first Bene Israeli synagogue here," said Jonathan Solomon of the Indian Jewish Federation.
